


Defensive

by supaprittiest



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Brothers, F/M, Past Abuse, Redemption, Skoulson - Freeform, Skyeward - Freeform, Stand With Ward, idk where this is going tbh, oneshot that could be more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 20:19:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2441726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supaprittiest/pseuds/supaprittiest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skye suddenly appreciates that Ward is her asset.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defensive

“What are you doing?” Skye demands, bumping into Coulson at the door of Vault D. She clutches her tablet to her chest, feeling inexplicably defensive. “And who’s this?”

“Skye, this is Christian Ward,” says Coulson, gesturing to the suited man beside him. She suddenly recognizes the similarities between him and his brother. They share the same angular cheekbones, and dark hair, but the most unsettling is the intimidating stare. She wonders if Ward had learned that from his brother. And then she remembers. 

“Coulson, I need to talk to you about something important,” she says, trying not to sound too flustered in front of their ‘guest’.

“Surely it can wait just a few more minutes,” Coulson says, beginning to unlock the vault door. Skye frantically racks her brain for something to grab his attention, anything.

“It’s about the GH-325, I think I found something,” she blurts out, pointing to her tablet. Coulson freezes, his expression darkening. 

“You’ll have to excuse me, I’ll only be a moment,” Coulson says, and Christian waves a hand, gesturing for Coulson to take his time. He grabs Skye’s arm and drags her into the adjacent hallway. 

“You can’t take him down there,” Skye says, suddenly feeling possessive over Ward- or Grant Ward, at least. He was her asset, her ‘project’, so to speak. She couldn’t help but feel a little discontented with Coulson. 

“Skye, we don’t have a choice. We need him on our side- and if that means turning Ward into his custody, so be it. I know that they have a complicated history-”

“No, it’s more than complicated. He abused him, you can’t just-”

“I can’t believe you’re defending him,” Coulson hisses disapprovingly. “And you lied to get me away from Christian. I should’ve listened to May, he’s filling your head with lies.” 

“Oh, like you aren’t?” Skye says accusingly, crossing her arms across her chest. “You’ve been keeping me, and everybody else, in the dark ever since you became Director. I get that you have to- but Coulson, this was my job, and you didn’t even tell me that you were trading him off like a dog you didn’t want anymore!” 

This hits him hard, because he knows that all her life, she’s been traded off. Discarded, unwanted. The team was the first real feeling of a family that she’s had, of course she’d want to protect it, even Ward. 

“I can’t just send him away, Skye,” Coulson says in a slightly softer tone, casting a glance at Maynard. 

“Tell him you changed your mind,” Skye says, letting her shoulders drop after realizing how she had been holding them. “Today isn’t a good day, something’s come up, anything.”

“Fine, I’ll do what I can, but no promises,” he sighs. “Don’t make me regret this.” 

She waits until Christian is eventually ushered away. She couldn’t hear the conversation from her vantage point, but assumed that it went decently, since there was no shouting. When the entire hallway is empty, she creeps into the vault, unsure of why she feels like she has to sneak around. 

He’s sitting on the bed, but rises upon sight of her. She wonders why, but never asks. She sets her tablet down on the chair and approaches the barrier slowly, standing at an appropriate distance, but still closer than usual. 

“Your brother was here,” she explains, and she can see the panic flicker in his dark eyes. 

“Was, you said?” Ward asks, trying to sound casual. 

“Yeah, he’s not coming to see you, not anymore anyways,” Skye says, seeing the confusion and relief that comes with the words. “I talked Coulson out of it. He was going to let him take you, and I remembered what you told me... About your family. And as much as I can’t stand you, I couldn’t let you go back to that.

“You defended me?” Ward presses, trying to sort out the situation. 

“Yeah, but don’t think it means anything,” Skye says coldly. “You’re still on my ‘I-want-to-strangle’ list.”

“Fair enough,” Ward says, exposing his palms to her, but she could still see the corners of his lips curling upward under his beard. It made him look feral, untrustworthy. So whenever she thought about him, she thought of him without a beard, mostly because it made her think of old times, when their biggest dilemma was deciding on what movie to watch. She realizes she’s been staring at his beard for a little too long, and steps back a bit. 

“So, tell me more about my father,” she says, keeping her tone even so she doesn’t sound too obsessed, even though she kind of is. Finally, they can talk about something that isn’t Hydra, that isn’t too personal. Maybe things would get better.


End file.
